Cincinnati Chili & Mini Corn Muffins

I love to travel, and one of the best parts of traveling is trying the local food. When my sister Kelly moved to Cincinnati, we didn't know much about the food there. When we visited, we were able to try many of the yummy regional specialties, including Graeter's ice cream, barbeque, Goetta sausage, and of course, Cincinnati chili.

Cincinnati chili is more like a meat sauce than a traditional Texas chili - it is spiced, rather than spicy, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. It is served over spaghetti, and you can order many different combinations (two-way, three-way, etc). We like the five-way version, which is the chili, spaghetti, beans, diced onions, and shredded cheese. And when I say shredded cheese, I mean completely covered in cheese. Check out photos at the popular Skyline Chili to see what I mean.

I doubt this recipe is very authentic. Evidently, every chili place in town has a slightly different recipe. Supposedly, the origin is from Mediterranean immigrants who opened a restaurant in town and served a traditional meat stew over hot dogs and spaghetti to try to entice the locals to try it.

Cincinnati Chili


1 lb. ground turkey (or other ground meat)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. sugar
1 can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 can red kidney beans, with their liquid (I used the kind with no salt added - otherwise, you might want to rinse and use water instead)
salt, to taste


Sauté the meat until nearly browned. Add the chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder and cloves and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the meat is no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer the chili for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over spaghetti and garnish with chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Mini Corn Muffins

1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup AP flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp. oil

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bow, beat egg, milk, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into greased muffin pans and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Makes 12 mini muffins (or 6 regular size).